After the presentation by Kevin of B&T Bedliners at the meeting Wednesday, I got to thinking (again) about having my sliders sprayed...

Before my brain starts smoking from over thinking doing this, any thoughts on the pros/cons?

One thing I am interested in is "roughing up" the top of the sliders somehow so they aren't so dang slick when wet or icy. The kids have numerous times slipped getting in and out but luckily they haven't been hurt yet...Something simple like skate board tape would work I'm sure but would rough bedliner be better?

The other thing I was thinking of is slider protection. I know the purpose of sliders is to take the "hit" for the body but that doesn't mean I'm still not anal about wanting them to look nice :hill:. After CM '07 I spent a day sanding and spraying all of the scrapes/dings out of the rear bumper and sliders. After CM '08 I didn't but it bugs me to see the rusty scratches. I was thinking if I bedlined the bottoms and sides of the sliders / rear bumper that might take some of the brunt of the impact. But, would that only result in me having to respray everything each year?

Flame away :D

Corbet

01-09-2009, 08:26 PM

I would not apply bed liner to any surface that is designed to contact rocks. Constant re-application required plus I'm sure you won't slide as easily.

Maybe have the tops of the sliders sprayed but mask off the bottom?

sno bored

01-09-2009, 09:05 PM

I had grip tape on top of my sliders for a couple of years, and it worked OK. Last year I lined my flares and lower section of my truck. I also lined the top of my sliders, but not the sides or bottoms. I taped off the side and bottom of the sliders, and rolled on the liner. I think it works as well as the grip tape worked. I also lined all of my rear bumper because it was starting to rust a little. I don't have any pictures, but I will try to take some soon.

fzj80fireman

01-18-2009, 02:35 AM

Bedlining the top would make sense and Kevin can put a good texture on there to help the kiddos from sliding. I'd agree with Corbet on not doing the underside. Not so much concern of not sliding, but when you do make contact, the rocks will peel the coating off similar to paint. It's a quite a bit more durable than paint, but not when you put 6K lbs on it and drag it across the rock. If you did do the bottom and it got scratched up, it can be repaired.

I was helping him Friday do a few bedliners and he can put a straight line on the side of the sliders and just do the top which would last a very long time.

Once we get my HG done, we may experiment with making a set of slider steps and spray just the tops.

Mario

SROR/AKA 2BAD

01-18-2009, 09:42 AM

Q: I know the purpose of sliders is to take the "hit"

correct, but you need them to "slide". bedliner material will not allow this to happen.

.02

zornff

01-20-2009, 07:15 AM

Q: I know the purpose of sliders is to take the "hit"

correct, but you need them to "slide". bedliner material will not allow this to happen.

.02

X2, and will eventually peel from TRYING to slide. Ask me how i know ! Grip tape works great, and will sand down the skin on you're leg nicely if/when you kinda miss the step, ask me how i know !

Beater

01-20-2009, 07:36 AM

I have used bedliner on sliders and bumpers. 4-6k pounds, plus inertia will scratch just about any coating, and or slide. However, the bedliner, if allowed to cure properly, will endure much more of the incidental contact...

I did one of my motorcycle frames in a light duty bedliner type coating and I have been absolutely thrilled with the results..

Tch2fly

01-20-2009, 07:57 AM

IMO the liner surface will provide only slighty more friction than the powder coating and won't hurt the ability to "slide".
I do agree that on the bottom of the slider with the weight of the truck it will be damaged but it also depends on the surface of the rock. On the rail portions it will take a pretty good beating before it comes off.
Take a look at my busted up fender flares. I spent a good deal of time sliding along rocks at Rubicon and the coating only came off in a couple small spots. On Cadillac hill they broke from the weight of the truck against a rock but the coating was still intact :eek:

Nay

01-20-2009, 09:43 AM

Buy a quart of rubber granulated durabak and do an anti-skid strip yourself. This will cost you $40 and a couple hours of your time and will work extremely well (anti-slip safety coating is a major application for this stuff).

Don't coat the sliders, you want to touch up slider scrapes with spraypaint, not bedliner. Bedliner is plastic, it will look like crap as you scrape it up with the kind of hits a slider takes.